Welcome
by Baby Hedgehog-Cute but DEADLY
Summary: Ty *really* wants Jack in his dojo. Is that too much to ask? Twoshot. I also borrowed a character from iCarly.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, you guuuuuuuuys! (That's from a kids show... I can't remember what it's called. [10/19/14 Edit: I REMEMBER WHAT IT'S FROM! That one show called "Electric Company" or something. XD]) How's it going?**

**Oooh, before I forget, can ya'll do me a favor and vote on the poll on my profile? It's helping with a future fic.**

* * *

**Inspired By: **Contest prompt from SilverDawn2167: "Somehow, the Black Dragons make Jack join their dojo using this bo staff that has this ability to make him act like what they want him to. Also Jack turns on his friends but Kim still loves him despite what he does to her. So she's able to break what the Black Dragons did to him somehow and they end up getting together. This would have Kim emotional hurt comfort and eventually Kick fluff at the end where Kim saves Jack."

* * *

_ "An idea can only become a reality once it is broken down into organized, actionable elements."  
_—Scott Belsky

* * *

Ty _really _wants Jack in his dojo.

Is it too much too ask?

Without Jack, the Black Dragons can't even hope to beat the Wasabi Warriors. Heck, even getting _Kim_ back would be something! Though Ty doesn't think he'd be willing to accept her back after her betrayal. And yet, there's no way Jack would willingly come to them. He has to convince the teenager somehow…

"Kai! Carson! Frank! Arthur!"

Why not ask his students?

* * *

**Plan A: Frank's Idea**

"Okay, Hayley, are you ready?" the sensei asks the female student.

"Yeah," she responds, pushing the neckline of her shirt down a little bit before running her hands down her sides. The plan is simple; she would use her… _attributes_… to 'convince' the teen to join.

The man is convinced it will work. Jack _is_ a teenage boy, despite his martial arts abilities. He can't resist.

"There he is!" Frank whispers, as Jack walks out of the dojo. It's not at all creepy that they studied his schedule to figure out when he would normally leave. Not at all.

Hayley approaches her target with a predatory look on her face. Ty shudders. That look scares him. He and Frank duck behind a bush and watch.

The girl reaches the teen and drapes herself over his arm, lightly stroking a finger down his chest and speaks. The two onlookers can't hear the words being exchanged, but it's not looking good. Jack steps away from Hayley and says something. The girl frowns and responds, approaching him again.

Ty facepalms as Jack steps away again and says something curtly. The sensei's eyes then widen as the teen briskly starts walking in their direction.

* * *

Jack blinks, startled as Ty and Frank burst out from behind a bush near him and take off running. He stares after the two members of the opposing dojo, before shaking his head and continuing on his way.

* * *

**Plan B: Carson's Idea**

Ty doesn't know what Carson has against Jack and Kim's relationship. He really doesn't. The sensei himself thinks they're an adorable couple.

But, she is why the last plan failed. They failed to consider Kim. Jack's devotion to her wouldn't possibly allow him to accept Hayley's advances.

This plan _includes _Kim, though. It can't fail!

(Even though that's what he thought about the first plan.)

The sensei/student pair crouch behind the same bush that Ty and Frank were behind for Plan A, waiting for a moment where Kim is alone. Finally, a window of opportunity opens. Quite literally, actually, because a window opens somewhere within the dojo.

"It's so _hot!" _Milton's voice says. They planted a bug (courtesy of Arthur) inside the enemy dojo, so they can hear what everyone is saying.

"I'm going over to Falafel Phil's, man," Jerry states. "I think he's got the AC going on full blast over there."

"Me too," Eddie says.

"Me three," Jack adds.

"I don't see what's wrong with you guys," Kim's voice says. Ty hears Carson growl quietly, and he shoots the teen a pointed look. "_I'm_ perfectly fine."

"Yeah, because you have some sort of 'internal feminine air conditioning system,'" Rudy's voice whines. "Look at you! You're not even sweating!"

"Women are actually more efficient sweaters than males," Milton's voice states. "Female bodies evaporate sweat on their skin more efficiently, which cools down the body without a lot of perspiration."

Silence.

"So girls sweat less," Eddie finally says. Milton confirms this with a "yup."

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Jerry finally says. His voice is farther away, meaning that he had begun approaching the doors. The other guys follow him out.

"That's totally fine, I'll just stay here by myself! All alone!" Kim calls after them. She rolls her eyes when they don't respond and starts practicing on a dummy.

"Okay, let's go," Carson says, approaching the dojo. Ty follows, and together they sneak towards the back entrance of the dojo. The teen opens the door, wincing when it squeaks loudly. They look around. No one seems to have noticed.

After slipping inside, the creep down the hallway towards the main room. Ty peeks around the circular archway.

"_Ha!" _Kim breaks a couple of boards, then rubs her hand. "Gotta work on that…" she says to herself. Ty notices the bright purple cord that snakes up her side and splits around her chin, continuing on towards her ears; she has earbuds in. Her back is to them.

Ty retreats from the archway. "Ok. She's got earbuds in. She's not gonna hear us. We grab her and go, 'kay?"

"Stupid Jack would do _anything _for his girlfriend," Carson says darkly. Ty sends him a warning look, but the boy is already approaching the girl from behind.

"Wait, Carson, the plan!" Ty hisses, watching helplessly as Carson gets closer. He then sighs and stands up.

The teen grabs the blonde around the waist with one arm, pinning her arms to her sides. He and covers her mouth with the other had. She jerks in surprise, and one of her earbuds fall out.

"Hey, _Kim,"_ Carson growls in the ear without the earbud. "Did ya miss me?" She angrily tries to speak around his hand and struggles to escape Carson's grasp. Ty has no doubt that every other word she's attempting to say is a curse._  
_

Ty sighs and walks around to the girl's front so she can see him. He smiles sheepishly when she stills and glares at him. "Heeeeey, Kim… how's your day been going?"

The hatred she's communicating through her narrowed eyes is practically palpable. He winces at the intensity of her gaze. If looks could kill…

"Look, I'm sorry, alright?" Ty says, feeling a little guilty (and scared, but he's not going to admit it). "We just need you for something."

Kim raises an eyebrow.

"What could we possibly need you for?" he responds, answering the silent question. "Well… It's kinda hard to explain… but we have to kidnap you… so could you just go with it?"

She gives him a challenging glare that says 'not a chance,' before suddenly bowing her head. Her chin is practically touching her chest. Ty cocks his head to the side, confused. What is she doing?

He gets his answer when she jerks her head back, hitting Carson in the face. Ty winces at the resounding _crack _that echoes through the air.

_"OW!" _Carson yells, instinctively releasing the angered blonde and staggering backwards. He clutches his nose. Ty can already see the blood running down the injured teen's nose and mouth. Kim whirls around and shoves him in the chest, hard enough for him to fall. She then draws back one foot and kicks right in between the teen's legs.

Carson squeals so loud that Ty is sure the sound can be heard for miles.

Kim squats down next to the (crying?!) teen's head. "Don't _ever _touch me _again,_" she hisses. Carson nods brokenly and curls up into an even tighter ball.

The blonde straightens and sends a furious glare in Ty's direction, not looking away when running footsteps enter the dojo. Ty does, though, and sees Jack and co arriving on the scene. They either saw what was going on through the glass doors (why didn't they consider that?!) or heard Carson's agony. Either way, they're here, and the plan is ruined, so Ty needs to get Carson and go. Except…_  
_

Ty glances at the downed teen. It doesn't look like he's going anywhere soon.

He lifts his gaze to meet that of the the newcomers. Milton and Rudy seem wary (the latter more so than the former), Jack is trying to calm down his girlfriend, Eddie is pretty much wincing on Carson's behalf, and Jerry is snickering at the injured teen's pain.

That did not go well.

* * *

**Plan C: Kai's Idea**

They lied low for a while after that; like, 'two and a half months' while. It was only so they could be sure that they disappeared off of the Wasabi Warriors' radar (and so Carson's nose could heal). Ty noticed that they kept close to Kim; there was always at least one person with her. Well, there was for about a two weeks. Then she got annoyed with them and put a stop to it. It was almost amusing, because she's not who they should have been protecting.

Kai's idea is a bit more… _violent _than the other two they've tried. The blonde claimed that it's only so they could temporarily "put him out of action," but Ty suspects that Kai just wants a reason to hurt his cousin.

This one takes place at nighttime, after a party thrown to celebrate the winning of _another _tournament (the fourth one in a row!). The BD would simply take Jack by force and bring him back to their dojo. And then they'd… well, they'll figure that out after they get him.

Instead of just Ty and Kai on this one, Carson, Arthur, and Frank are there are well. Ty has seen the damage that Jack can do first-hand, and the man doesn't want to take any chances. He brought his best students for that reason. (Well, Arthur isn't _really_ one of Ty's best students. The bratty teen is actually quite the opposite, but Ty, fearing for his job, had been forced to bring him along.)

They lie in wait in their specified hiding spots in the parking lot, knowing that Jack always cut through it after exiting the mall, and also knowing that his mother wouldn't be there to pick him up because something had come up, so Jack had to walk home. They _also _know that Jack, being the guy he is, didn't want to bother his friends by telling them because he's just stupid like that. No one except his mother and the BD knew he would be walking home. The situation can't be any more perfect.

Sure enough, after about an hour of waiting, a sound is heard. Ty identifies it almost immediately; it's the sound that the wheels on Jack's skateboard make. It's go time.

* * *

Jack frowns and dismounts from his skateboard when a figure steps out from behind one of the pillars in front of him. His frown deepens when he identifies the person. "Arthur? What are _you_ doing here?"

Arthur puts a hand over his heart, as if offended. "Why, Jackson, there's no need to be so hostile." He then smirks. "Besides, my dad owns this place. The better question would be what am I doing _here?_"

"How is that any different from—"

"Shhh…" Arthur says, cutting him off. "Don't speak. Save your voice for your screams."

The threat sends a chill down Jack's spine, even though he knows that he can easily take down Arthur right now. But something about this is off. Arthur wouldn't just come up and speak to him out of the blue…

"Arthur's right, Jack," a voice suddenly says from behind him. Jack whips around to see Frank standing there with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "Don't waste your breath on something as stupid as _words._"

"Frank?" Jack asks, turning so that he has both Frank and Arthur in his line of sight. "What is this, some kind of meeting of the losers?"

"No, that's next week," Frank says offhandedly. Jack stares at him. Arthur facepalms.

"You're so _stupid!" _Arthur exclaims. His voice sounds close to a whine. "No one else was supposed to know about that!"

"Well, you two clearly have some issues to work out," Jack says, slowly stepping backwards as the two start to bicker. "So, I'm just gonna go…"

"Not so fast, Jack," another voice says, once again behind him. The teen tenses upon recognizing the person's voice and turns around.

"Carson," he says coolly, dropping his skateboard but otherwise giving no sign that he felt threatened. This is not good. Something's going on here, something that was clearly planned out. But _what? _"You'd think that a guy who almost lost any chance of having kids in the future would stay away from the guy dating the cause of that, but…" He shrugs. "Guess not."

Carson's smirk disappears at Jack's statement. "Shut up! Your stupid girlfriend just… caught me off-guard."

"'Caught you off-guard.' Sure. That's why you avoid her at school and squealed like a little girl that one time she tapped your arm, when all she was asking for was the textbook on the desk next to yours."

"I was… _bruised_ on the spot she tapped!"

"You seemed fine to me."

"Would you just shut up?!"

"Aww, I'm hurt. I thought you came all this way just to have this lovely conversation with me."

"You think you're so smart, _Jack," _a new voice says.

"Smarter than you, at least, considering the fact that you failed Kindergarten two years in a row," Jack retorts, turning to face his cousin. He's surrounded on all sides; who should he face? He decides to turn his back to Arthur, because the obnoxious teen is the smallest threat.

Kai shrugs. "What can I say? The teachers loved me so much that they held me back. Now," He balls up one hand into a fist and punches it into the other. "We're gonna beat you up, and then drag your sorry butt back to our dojo."

They all start to stalk forwards. Jack swallows his slight fear and shifts into a defensive stance.

* * *

Phil gasps quietly from his hiding spot and runs off to go tell the other Wasabi Warriors.

* * *

"You have three seconds to let him go before we _make _you."

The five battered (Jack had put up quite a fight) Black Dragons freeze at the girl's voice and look up. The Wasabi Warriors had somehow figured out that they were here! Carson, who had previously been helping Kai lift an unconscious Jack up, drops the arm he was holding and raises his hands in surrender to appease Kim. He ignores the glares that his fellow Black Dragons aim at him.

"Oh, _come on!" _Ty yells. "Can't you just leave us to steal a member of your dojo in peace?!"

He gets mixed responses, all of them being some variation of 'no.'

"Fine!" He motions for Kai to drop Jack. "We _will _get him! I promise you that!"

"Keep talking," Kim says, taking a threatening step forward. The Black Dragons run away.

* * *

**Plan D: Arthur's Idea**

The cool down period this time is even longer; four months of waiting. Ty had almost forgotten about his desire for the teen to be in his dojo. He had recently taken up a new hobby (*cough*knitting*cough*), and that provided suitable distraction for him.

So, when Arthur comes into his office four months later, he is actually quite surprised. He had forgotten that Arthur hadn't explained his plan yet.

"It involves a couple of friends, if you don't mind…"

* * *

It takes another month for everything to be prepared.

* * *

Carson is really annoyed that he got stuck with this job.

He understands the reasoning behind it, of course; Jack's mother would recognize Kai, Arthur is too snooty and would probably put her off, Ty has to be back at the dojo with Arthur and Truman, and Frank is just… Frank.

That doesn't mean that Carson has to like it.

This is what he's thinking as he stands at the front door of the Brewer residence, dressed up as a mailman, with a long rectangular box in his arms. (Well, that, and '_This costume smells weird. Where the heck did Arthur get it?'_)

He hears footsteps approaching the door and gives Kai (who is stationed in the tree next to Jack's window in a camouflage outfit with binoculars) a quick thumbs up, before turning back to the doorway.

Jack's mother opens the door, as predicted. "Hello."

"Hi," Carson says, putting on a bright smile. "I have a package here for a—" He pretends to check the label on the box. "—Jack Brewer?"

"Oh, ok." He hands her the box as well as a clipboard and pen.

"Just sign off here to signify that you've gotten it."

"Alright." She sets the box down on the small end and signs her name. "You know… you seem a little _young _to be a mail carrier." She hands him back the clipboard and pen.

Inwardly, Carson panics. On the outside, he shrugs. "Just doin' what I can to make ends meet."

Her eyebrows crease in concern. "Trouble at home?"

"Kinda. Most of the money I make is paying for my little sister's hospital bills." She _is_ sick; she's just sick with a mild cold that's already showing signs of clearing up. A little exaggeration never hurt anybody.

Ms. Brewer puts a hand over her heart. "The poor dear. What's wrong with her?"

Carson sighs, feigning sadness. "She has a really rare type of cancer. The doctors are doing everything they can, but each surgery they do costs thousands of dollars. I barely paid off the last one."

"What about your parents?"

"Dead." That's not a lie. He and Annie just live with relatives.

"You poor things!" She purses her lips, as if thinking about something. After a pause, she says, "Wait here," and goes back inside.

_"What are you doing? Why aren't you walking away?!" _Kai hisses into his ear piece.

"She said to wait," Carson hisses back. "Do you want me to give her a reason to come looking for me?"

Ms. Brewer comes back and pushes something into his hand. "Here. It's not much, but I won't be able to sleep at night if I don't do anything." She folds her hands over his and stares at him. "You keep praying for that little girl, okay? Don't stop believing." She releases him and steps back into the doorway. "Don't stretch yourself out too thin. Stressing yourself won't help your sister." And with that, she closes the door.

Carson stands there for a moment, oddly touched. He then opens his closed hand.

The woman had given him _a hundred dollars!_

He stares at it, shocked. She had given a hundred dollars to a stranger she had never met before in her life, hoping to help them and not expecting anything in return.

That's when the guilt sets in. She had done this amazing thing for him, and he's going to turn around and steal her son's will.

_"Dude, did she just give you _money?!"

Kai's voice snaps him out of his guilt-induced stupor. "Uh… yeah. Yeah she did."

_"Ha! How much?"_

"…twenty," Carson answers, not quite sure why he lied.

_"Nice!"_

Carson doesn't respond, and instead turns and walks away from the house.

* * *

"Jack! A package for you just arrived!" the mother calls up the staircase in the direction of her son's room. He opens the door and walks out. She hands it to him.

"Thanks," he responds, accepting it and going back to his room.

Jack sits down on his bed and examines the box. "Huh. It doesn't say who it's from," he says to himself.

He opens the package and sifts through packing peanuts finding a dark red metal bo staff and a piece of paper.

"_Welcome," _he reads aloud, before staring in confusion at the bo staff. "'Welcome' to what?"

He stares at the note again. He flips it over to see if there's anything on the back; nothing. He turns it back to the side with the single word, and scrutinizes the letters. "Wait… this handwriting is familiar…"

* * *

"The target opened the box…" Kai says into his miniature microphone, addressing Arthur's friend Truman.

"_Good,_" Truman's voice replies. Kai hears him say _"Go, Neville," _to someone in the background, probably his contact in Seattle.

Kai grins as a red mist comes out of the end of the bo staff. Jack coughs a couple times, before passing out onto his bed. "The target is unconscious. He's ours."

* * *

**There will be a part 2 for this, but only if you say so in a review! c-: I know. I'm evil. What else is new?**

**Any guesses as to who Truman's "contact in Seattle" is?**

**Until next time,**

**~BP**

**10/19/14 Edit: Response to Reviews-**

**EB: **_I want part 2! This is freeing hilarious!_  
I'm glad you found it so "freeingly hilarious." XD

**Silverdawn2167: **_Ahhhh I love it this is exactly what I wanted. Part two, part two_  
Part two is up, in case you couldn't tell. :)

**Guest: **_Part 2 Part 2 Part 2!_  
I'm glad for your enthusiasm. :)

**DirectorT: **_Dude that was awesome! But seriously, Neville...!? You stole that from iCarly! Lol anyway, loved the chapter, can't wait for part 2!_  
Well, I didn't exactly "steal" him. I borrowed him. I gave him back, I promise! :)

**kickinitwithyou2: **_Part 2 part 2 part2_**  
**It's up it's up it's up. :)

**Kicklover24: **_Nevil !_  
_ Holeee crap._  
_ Interesting.._  
_ Update soon !_  
_ kicklover24_

Well. I'm glad you find it interesting, and I have in fact updated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's part two of the previous chapter. ^v^ I'm really glad you guys liked it.**

* * *

**Inspired By: **It's a continuation of the previous chapter.

* * *

"He will be a bit difficult at first," the boy says. Ty frowns, staring at the webcam. It astounds him that he's not looking at a younger version of Truman. Neville and his cousin look _way_ too similar to be just cousins. If it weren't for the five year age difference (Neville is eleven), the sensei would have thought they were twins, or brothers at the least.

"What do you mean he's going to be 'difficult'?" the man asks, choosing not to reveal his thoughts.

"I mean that he will not immediately cede to the 'Black Dragons' as you call yourselves. If we were to be directly controlling him, it would be different. We are not directly controlling him. We are altering his mindset in such a way that he will willingly come to you."

Ty stares at him.

Neville rolls his eyes. "We're making him _want _to join instead of mentally forcing him."

"Oh," Ty responds. "Why didn't you just say so?"

The sensei doesn't understand why the boy face-palms.

"Anyhow," Neville says, reaching towards something off screen. He brings forth a rectangular metal thing, about six inches long, three inches wide, and two inches tall. On one of the three-by-six faces is a slit that goes down the length of it. Perpendicular to the slit and about an inch apart are white lines, numbered one through six. In the slit, next to the first white line, is a red knob. "Truman is going to give you a remote control just like this one. It basically controls how much influence you have over him. You move the knob up to increase influence over him."

The boy gives him a stern look at this. "Let me forewarn you; the higher that knob goes, the more apathy he has. It's an unfortunate side effect of the gas."

"Which means…"

"He basically loses his emotions."

"Ok."

"Other possible drawbacks of turning up the knob include a loss or extreme change of personality and increased pain upon resistance."

"Oh. But how is him losing his emotions such a bad thing?"

"You wished for him in your dojo. Do you really want an emotionless soldier as your student?"

"…no."

"Didn't think so. Now, he will try to fight these thoughts at first, or he'll think of something that isn't appropriate for what you want him to become. Doing so will give him headaches, because the gas is trying to alter his thoughts and he won't comply. If he is pushed too hard, he might pass out. Don't try to immediately get him to join your dojo. Let him come to you."

"Alright."

"Don't push him too hard."

"What, do you actually care about him? You don't even know him."

"Don't be stupid." Ty sputters at this, but Neville continues as if he didn't even hear. "I _don't _care about him. I simply fear that if he is sent to the hospital for passing out, then the machines may detect the serum in his bloodstream and attempt to flush it out."

"Oh. Okay. Got it. No hospital."

* * *

Jack walks into the Bobby Wasabi dojo, smiling upon seeing his friends. He's late because he promised his mom to clean out the garage after school, but now he's here and that's what matters. "Hey, los—"

He stops, shocked at himself. Was he about to call his friends _losers?! _What is wrong with him?!

_'Because that's what they are.'_

_'What!? No! What the heck is wrong with me?!'_

That's when the headache hits him. He winces, grabbing his head as pain suddenly flares up and thunders through his skull like a herd of angry elephants.

"Jack, you alright there?" Eddie, the closest person to him says.

"Yeah," Jack responds, blinking as he suddenly gets lightheaded. He leans against one of the green pillars that separate the main room of the dojo and the entryway and squeezes his eyes shut. "I just… gimme a minute."

"Jack?" he hears Kim's voice say, just as the pain starts to fade. He opens his eyes and sees his friends standing near him, concerned.

"I'm okay," Jack says so his friends won't worry. He puts on a reassuring smile. "Just got a little dizzy there."

"You should probably sit down," Milton responds, frowning. "Dizziness could be a sign of—"

"I'm fine, Milton," Jack interrupts gently. "It happens to everyone, right? I'm probably just tired."

"Are you sure, man?" Jerry asks.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

His friends still seem unconvinced, but they let it go.

* * *

"I guess that's one of the headaches that Neville warned about," Ty says, thoughtful.

"'Headaches?'" Kai echoes, raising an eyebrow. He had chosen to stay with Ty and watch his cousin for now, but the man hadn't really told him much about what he and the kid had discussed.

"Whenever he tries to resist the gas, he gets a headache. Neville said they would get fewer and farther in between over time."

Kai chuckles. "It's like training a puppy with a shock collar." He smirks. "Training him to be a _mean dog_."

* * *

Jack's thoughts have been progressively getting darker over these past few days.

It's scaring him. A lot. Cheating on tests, hurting animals, actually _stealing candy from a baby_… the evil little voice in his head is whispering all of it to him, trying to convince him that it's not wrong

Even worse is that he's actually starting to _agree _with it.

Previously, he would have balked and retaliated against the mere thought of hurting or messing around with Milton's tech friends. Yesterday he found himself debating the pros and cons of doing so. And whenever he dismisses or recoils at the dark thoughts, he ends up with a searing headache.

Jack fears what he is becoming.

* * *

Ty knows that the gas is working. It's pretty obvious, just watching Jack's actions (with the various cameras installed in the places he frequents, courtesy of Arthur). Neville also told him to let Jack come to the dojo on his own, so he knows Jack will eventually make an appearance.

Ty hears a series of thumps and pained grunts, and then his door bangs open. He looks up.

"Jack?!"

Despite all of that, it almost shocks the pee out of him when he sees the teen standing in his doorway.

"What did you do to me?" Jack growls darkly, stalking up to the man's desk. Ty has never seen him this angry before. It scares him. Now that Jack has moved out of the doorway, Ty has a clear view of the main room. Two of his students seem to be unconscious, three more are groaning and struggling to get up, and one (Frank) is sitting on the ground rocking himself and sucking his thumb.

Ty shudders to think of what Jack must have done to Frank. The man is just glad that Arthur, Kai, and Carson aren't in the dojo today.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ty says, feigning ignorance fighting the tremor that threatens to take over his voice.

"You _must _have done something to me!" Jack insists. He runs a hand through his hair in frustration and starts pacing back and forth in front of Ty's desk. "I'm getting… _darker. _More violent, and meaner, and I keep thinking about _joining_ the Black Dragons…" He shakes his head. As he speaks, his anger visibly morphs into distress. It makes Ty actually feel a little guilty, knowing he's the cause for the younger's pain.

"Maybe you've finally realized we're a superior dojo," Ty says cautiously. He regrets the words immediately because of the glare elicited as a result. Averting his eyes, notices a halfway open drawer by his hand. In it is the remote Truman had given him.

"You guys might have more people, but you probably threatened most of them into joining." Ty doesn't answer (because the teen is partially right), instead subtly reaching into the drawer. What would happen if he turned it up to two? He moves the knob up to find out.

Jack stops talking. Ty looks up to see the teen open and close his mouth, as if unsure what to say. Without warning, he abruptly turns and leaves the office, leaving Ty to wonder exactly what he had just done.

* * *

A couple days after that particular incident, Ty is watching the camera screen that the dubbed the "dojo cam." Don't get him wrong; he doesn't spend every waking minute watching the screens for Jack, but he simply checks in every now and then to see how the young male's behavior had changed.

Jack hasn't entered the Bobby Wasabi dojo yet, which is strange; he's normally there by now. Just as Ty is having the thought, said teen walks in with what seems like a duffel bag. He ignores the greetings of his friends and goes straight to his locker. Ty raises an eyebrow as the teen opens the storage compartment and starts loading his things into the bag.

_"Uh, Jack?" _Kim asks, approaching her boyfriend.

_"Hmm?" _He doesn't even pause in his task to turn around and look at her. The blonde glances at the other guys in confusion, before turning back to him.

_"What are you doing?"_

_"Packing."_

_"…why?"_

_"Because I'm leaving."_

Ty leans forward, gaining interest. Is Jack finally coming to join the Black Dragons?

This time Milton speaks up. _"Leaving? What do you mean 'leaving'?"_

_"This dojo," _Jack responds, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Ty grins, not even looking back when he hears his office door open.

"What's going on?" Carson's voice asks. "You look like my gramma watching an episode of _Elderly Little Liars._"

"Shh," Ty says in response. Carson raises an eyebrow and walks around the sensei's desk, looking over his shoulder to see what the man is watching.

_"_…'cause I feel like it," __Jack is saying. He grabs the last of his stuff and closes the locker. He zips up the bag, turns around, and starts walking towards the exit.

_"'Cause you feel like it?!" _Kim exclaims, running around him and stopping in his path. _"If this is some kind of joke, it's not funny."_

_"Who said I was joking?"_

The girl pauses. _"You're seriously going?" _she asks, her voice quieter.

_"Yeah," _Jack says offhandedly, looking around. _"This place has lost its appeal."_

_"Jack, we're your _friends! _What more is there to it? What about the Wasabi Code?"_

_"'We swear by the light of the dragon's eye. To be loyal and honest and never say die.' As far as I can tell, I'm not on my deathbed, I'm not lying to you, and_…_" _He shrugs. _"Loyalties can change."_

_"Yeah? Well, what are your loyalties now?"_

Jack cocks his head to the side. _"I'm not sure. Maybe the Black Dragons?"_

_"Black Dragons?!" _The blonde looks to the other guys for assistance.

_"Jack, if we did something wrong, why don't you just tell us?" _Eddie asks.

_"You didn't do anything wrong. I just_… have different interests."__

__"But why would you wanna join the Black Dragons, man?"__ Jerry asks.__ "After everything they've done to us?"__

Jack just shrugs, and walks around Kim.

_"Jackson Leo Brewer. If you walk out of those doors I am breaking up with you."_

Jack stops with his hand on the door.

"No, no, NO!" Ty says frantically. He scrambles to find the remote and moves the knob up to four. "We are _not_ losing him!"

_"Fine."_

Jack walks out of the dojo.

* * *

"Jack."

The teen ignores his mother, instead picking up the remote and changing the channel. Frowning and thinking that maybe her son didn't hear her, the woman tries again. "_Jack."_

Ok, he definitely heard her that time. Huffing, she walks over and stands between the TV and the couch, blocking his view of the screen. He leans to the side and tries to see around her. She turns and powers off the TV.

"Jack, why did you leave the dojo?"

The teen shrugs. He uses the remote to turn on the TV again. The elder Brewer turns and switches it back off. Jack sighs a short, annoyed sigh and looks up at her. "What?"

"Jackson, I am your mother. You do not speak to me in that tone. Why did you leave the dojo?"

"Because I wanted to."

"Any specific reason other than that?"

"Not really."

The woman's frown deepens. "You've just been sitting around the house for the past few days. Did someone do something to you?"

"No."

"Did you and Kim have a fight?"

"We're not even together anymore."

Her jaw drops. This is news to her. "What?! When did that happen?!"

"Last week."

"Why? You two are so happy together."

"_Were _happy, mother," he corrects her. "We _were _happy together."

"What happened?"

"She tried to stop me from leaving."

"And so you _broke up _with her?!"

He shrugs. "She threatened to. I didn't care."

"Didn't…care…"

Ms. Brewer can't believe what she's hearing. He _'didn't care'_?! The mother has seen the two of them together. She knows how close they are. She was ecstatic when they finally got together. They've been through ups and downs and always come out stronger because of it. Their bond is like no other. How did all of that get thrown away?

Her musing is interrupted when her son gets up and starts to walk towards the stairs. "Stop right there, Jack, I'm not finished speaking yet."

"I am," he replies without turning back.

She gapes at the blatant rudeness, wondering what in the world has gotten into her son. Even when he's in a bad mood, he's never this _disrespectful._

"Jackson Leo Brewer, you get back here this instant!"

He groans and turns around. _"What?"_

She puts her hands on her hips. "Okay, first off, you're grounded. You do _not _use that tone with me."

He shrugs. "Okay. Whatever. How long?"

The mother blinks, a bit put off. "How long?" she echoes.

"How long are you banishing me to my room so you don't have to see my face?"

She frowns. "Jack, that's not what grounding is—"

"Sure it is," the teen interrupts. "You send me to my room so that you don't have to look at me on the days I'm being difficult. You wish that Dad was here to help you deal with me, because he would know what to do. Sometimes, when I _really _push it, you wish that _I'm _the one that died in that car accident instead of Dad. _He _wasn't an impulsive teenager. _He _could pay the bills. _He _could give you another son to replace the one you would have lost. But—"

"Enough," the mother says quietly, her voice wavering. She's barely keeping her composure. "Go to your room. Now."

Jack rolls his eyes, before turning and going up the stairs. Ms. Brewer waits until she hears his door shut, before going up the stairs as well and entering her room. Sitting down on her bed, she removes simple silver chain from around her neck. On it is a plain gold wedding band. Next to her, on her bedside table, is a photo of her, her husband, and her son. It was taken on Jack's fifth birthday.

She clutches the necklace in her fist, picks up the frame, holds it to her chest, and sobs.

* * *

"Woah. That was harsh," Ty says, watching as the woman walks up the stairs.

Truman, who is in Ty's office helping him repair one of the screens that had malfunctioned, shrugs. "If he's gonna be in the Black Dragons, he's gotta act like one."

Ty's frown deepens. "Black Dragons don't act like that."

As if on cue, Kai walks by Ty's office door. He seems to be on the phone. "Mom." The teen pauses. "Mom. _Mom. _Shut up. Listen to me for a minute…" His voice fades as he gets farther away from the door.

Ty looks back over at Truman. The teen has an eyebrow raised, his expression silently communicating '_Are you sure about that?'_

"Oh shut up," the sensei replies.

* * *

Jack sits down on his bed. He stares down at his hands, wondering at himself.

_'How could I say that to her and feel absolutely _nothing_?'_

He clenches his hands into fists. _'Should I… apologize?'_

He winces as a headache strikes him like lightning. It quickly fades, and he finds himself shaking his head. He lies down on his bed and stares up at the ceiling. _'Why should I apologize for telling the truth?'_

* * *

The next day, a Friday afternoon, Jack is on the couch once again watching TV. One of his favorite crime shows is on. One character pushes another out of the way and gets shot in the process. Two weeks ago, he would have had a mini-freak out, or maybe demand vengeance for the cop's injury. Instead he scoffs and mutters something about how stupid the character is, and how he himself would have just let the other get shot.

The doorbell rings. He stays seated for a few more moments, forgetting that his mother isn't home to answer the door. He briefly muses on her disappearance as he stands up to open the door. He hasn't seen her since yesterday. Then again, he did wake up at two. She was probably already gone before he even woke up. With that question answered, he opens the door. All he sees is a flash of blonde hair before—

_SMACK._

He's suddenly facing the left, his cheek stinging painfully. He stays like that for a few moments, uncomprehending, as the person pushes herself past him and walks into his living room. He'd just been _slapped. _A little part of him pouts. All he was doing was watching TV. Nothing bad. Why did he get slapped?

Working his jaw back and forth, he closes the door and turns around, walking to the living room to face the person. The sight of an angry Kim greets him. He raises an eyebrow. What is she doing here?

"Jackson. Leo. Brewer," she says darkly, hands on her hips. She looks absolutely livid. Jack didn't think she would end up as one of the Crazy Exes, but he supposes that would fit her fierce personality. Not.

_'That's the third time someone's said my full name in two weeks. That's gotta be some kind of record.'_

"I can not _believe _you. It's one thing to break up with me. You don't l-love me anymore. I get it." Her voice cracks on the 'l' word, but she barrels on without even seeming to have noticed it. "But it's another thing entirely to make your freaking _mom _cry!"_  
_

Oh. That's what this is about. How did she find out about that?

"She shows up on our doorstep looking pretty sad—" _'That answers that question.' _"—and then when my mom asks what's wrong she bursts into tears!" The girl narrows here eyes. "She told us what you said, Jack. How could you possibly say something so… so…"

"Honest?" he supplies helpfully. When she stares at him, 'furious' not even _beginning_ to describe her facial expression, he shrugs. (He's a bit wary, though. Her wrath is a force to be reckoned with.) "Not my fault she couldn't handle the truth." His expression darkens, and he steps forward. "Since when do you have the right to judge me on family affairs that don't even involve you?"

Something that might have been fear flashes over her face, but the her anger returns before he can really tell. "Since your mom and my mom became best friends," she hisses. "_That's _when I got the right."

He scoffs. "Yeah. Right. Sure. You're just using this as an excuse to come over here. You're probably still going to beg me to take you back."

"I don't _want _you back!" she says in response. "Not if _this _is how you're going to act!"

"What do you mean by 'this', Kim?" he asks, stepping forward again. She steps backwards, and her back hits the wall. When exactly they got to the wall, Jack has no idea, but he really doesn't care right now. "Less _weak_? Not as insistent on doing the right thing? _Better?" _He scoffs. "Whatever. You guys are losers anyway, and my mother should take my place in that pathetic dojo."

She raises a hand to slap him again. Seeing it coming, he grabs her wrist and pins it to the wall next to her head. He leans forward, his face inches from hers. "What? Don't have anything to say now?" he sneers.

Kim stares up at him with a fearful expression. He smirks, daring her to say anything. Seconds of silence pass between them, before she closes her eyes. "You're hurting me," she says quietly.

He blinks. The dark clouds of his mind clear a little. He notes the terrified look he had previously received.

She's _scared _of him.

Jack instantly backs away, his mouth opening and closing but nothing coming out. _'Apologize!' _a small voice in his head demands. But then the familiar headache booms through his skull. He winces, turning his back to her and gritting his teeth through the pain. He presses his thumb and pointer finger against his temples, hoping for the pain to subside. "…leave," he says quietly.

He stands there until he hears the front door close after her.

* * *

"…then he just told me to leave."

"Man," Jerry says quietly, accurately summing up all of their thoughts. Across the hall of the subject of their worries, laughing at something one of the other Black Dragons said.

"It's like he's a completely different person," Eddie says, almost a whisper.

"He _is _a completely different person."

The four Wasabi Warriors turn to see a familiar (and not exactly 'appreciated') person standing there.

"Carson?" Milton says, raising an eyebrow.

"Come back for more?" Kim asks darkly, stepping in front of him and holding up a fist.

The ex-Wasabi Warrior winces slightly, raising his hands to appease her. "No, no, no, I just… I know why Jack is acting like this."

"What makes you think we'd—"

"Kim," Milton says gently, placing a placating hand on her shoulder. "Give him a chance. He seems sincere."

She frowns, glancing back at Milton for a second before her gaze turns back to Carson. She huffs. "Fine. Talk. _Now_."

Carson nods gratefully at Milton. "We should probably go somewhere more private."

* * *

"So lemme get this straight," Kim says. "You guys sent a bo staff to Jack's house."

"Yep."

"And the bo staff released some sort of gas that's controlling him."

"Uh huh."

"And he gets headaches whenever he starts to act like himself."

"Yes."

"And there's a remote to 'increase influence' over him if he's not doing what's expected of him."

"Yeah."

"But doing so has some pretty bad side effects."

"I'm running out of synonyms for yes. It's pretty obvious that you understand."

"Hey, don't—"

"Kim." Milton interrupts the girl, raising a disapproving eyebrow. The blond huffs and crosses her arms, unknowingly pouting.

"So… how do we get Jack back?" Jerry asks.

"I dunno."

"Are you freaking—"

"_Kim._"

"…"

"I'll try to find out," Carson says, eyeing the steaming blond warily. He'd lost all attraction towards her, ever since she'd almost destroyed any chance of him having kids in the future.

"Thanks," Milton says. Carson nods, and stands up to approach the exit of the empty classroom.

"Just one question, though," Eddie says, speaking up.

"Shoot," Carson responds. He stops with his hand on the door handle.

"Why are you helping us?"

Carson is silent for a few seconds. The Warriors stare at him expectantly. "…his mom," he finally responds. He leaves before they can ask him to elaborate.

* * *

Ty looks up as the door to his office opens. "Hello, Carson." His gaze returns back to the files he's sorting through on his desk. "What brings you to my office?"

"I was just thinking…" the teen says cautiously, remembering his promise to the Wasabi Warriors earlier that day. He's finally acting on it. "What sort of thing would, like… snap Jack out of it?"

The sensei stops and looks up, raising a suspicious eyebrow. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Oh, no, I'm not saying for me," Carson hurriedly explains. "I'm just saying so we can know to _avoid _that sort of thing."

Ty purses his lips, contemplating the statement. Carson silently prays that the man buys it.

"I'm glad you brought that up, Carson," he finally says. "I never thought of that before. I'll make sure to ask Neville." He returns to rifling through the files on his desk. Seconds later, when Carson doesn't leave, he looks back up. "Is there something else you need?"

"Um… shouldn't the others and I know sooner rather than later?"

"Hmm… good point." The man smiles at his student. "What would I do without you?"

Carson shrugs, silently relieved that his story had worked.

* * *

"Anything he's deeply connected to on an emotional level may nullify the effects of the gas. Could be an artifact from a deceased loved one, could be a toy left over from his childhood. Anything like that."

"What about people?" Carson asks, the beginnings of an idea starting to form in his head. "Girlfriend? Mom?"

"Girlfriend more so than his mother," Neville responds. "But yes, they could work as well."

"But how? He's spoken to both of them."

Neville shrugs. "Something… 'sentimental,' for lack of a better word, would have to happen."

"You mean all that 'true love' crap is real?" Kai scoffs, raising an eyebrow. He crosses his arms.

"In theory, yes."

"But they've talked and stuff before," Arthur says. "He didn't show any sign of going back to his old self."

"Having a conversation doesn't exactly make you sentimental," Neville responds.

"Oh. So, we don't have to worry about keeping him away from his mom or Kim?" Ty asks.

"Assuming Kim is his girlfriend, no."

"She's not his girlfriend," Frank says, speaking up with a stupid grin on his face. "Not anymore."

"Like she's gonna go for you," Arthur says, rolling his eyes.

"She would, too!" Frank responds heatedly. With that, the two of them start bickering. Kai rolls his eyes and herds the two of them out of Ty's office, following behind them and muttering something about the two of them being idiots. Carson follows with a contemplative look on his face.

* * *

"You have to kiss him."

Kim whirls, reflexively aiming a punch over her shoulder. Carson dodges the fist with ease.

"When did you— _How _did you—"

Milton looks up. "Oh. Carson's here."

"Hey, man, when did you get here?" Jerry asks.

Eddie says something as well, but whatever it is can't be heard because of the mouthful of burger he's trying to speak around.

Kim glares at him. "What is wrong with you guys?! He is a _Black __Dragon_! And suddenly you're being all buddy buddy with him?"

"He's helping us get Jack back," Jerry says. "I'm cool with that."

Kim seethes. "Yeah? And at what cost?"

Carson blinks. "What?"

"What's the catch? What do you want for helping us?"

"I— Nothing. I don't want anything."

"Right," Kim says, rolling her eyes. "So you're just doing this out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Carson replies, frustration coloring his voice.

"Because you don't _deserve_ to be trusted."_  
_

Carson stops. Why do her words… _hurt_? It's the truth, isn't it? He hasn't exactly done anything to gain their trust. But he genuinely wants to help! Honest! If only for Mrs. Brewer's sake…

"Look," the teen says, his voice calmer. "I know I haven't really done anything to make you guys trust me, but… I seriously want to help, alright?" He frowns. "Are you going to let me or not?"

Kim stares at him. Carson can't help but feel like a bug being scrutinized under a magnifying glass. After the longest time, she rolls her eyes.

"Fine," the blonde says. She narrows her eyes. "If you try anything, _anything _at all, you're going to regret it."

Carson gulps and nods. "Okay." He motions for the other Wasabi Warriors to come over, before lowering his voice. "Now, I got Ty to talk to his 'contact' that's helping him…"

* * *

"Hmm…" Ty says, staring down at the remote. "Maybe I should turn this up… 'cause he sees Kim and his mom all the time, right?"

He stares out the window of his office door. Through it, he can see Jack sparring with another student. He looks back down at the control. A second later he makes a decision. "I am not going to lose you," he says, turning up the knob for the last two increments.

If he had been paying attention, he would have seen Carson with the Wasabi Warriors on the "dojo cam."

* * *

"Carson. I'm here. Where are you?" Pause. "Fine." He hangs up and walks over to the wall on one side of alley, leaning against it.

He looks up when he hears a clattering coming from behind a dumpster. He frowns. The sound was too loud to be some random animal… someone is back there.

"Who's there?" Jack demands, cautiously stepping towards where he heard the sound come from. No one answers. He keeps going and slowly steps around the dumpster.

_CLANG!_

He stiffens for a moment, before collapsing.

"Where did you find a frying pan?!"

"I… I don't know…"

Milton kneels down next to Jack's limp form, wincing. "Did you really have to hit him so hard?"

"All those hair products he uses had to have formed some kind of weird hair shield around his head!" the Latino protests.

"Hmm… touché," Milton responds. He motions to Jerry. "Come on. Help me pick him up."

* * *

"…ow long is… him to wake up?"

"You're the… who hit him…reaking frying pan."

"… was I… to hit him with?"

"_Not _a… pan!"

The voices seem to be arguing. Jack really wishes they would stop. They're dragging him out of the comfortable his comfortable little bubble of unconsciousness.

"…en, would you… used?"

"…dunno!"

_"Hey!_ Shut up!"

The loud demand easily slices through his bubble. His face scrunches up for a minute, before he forces his eyes open. He's in a sitting position, he realizes, leaning against a hard surface. The equally hard ground that he's sitting on is _cold. _He can feel the chill seeping into his pants. He struggles to lift his head.

"That's better. I think he's waking up."

"…Jack?"

He blinks, his eyes adjusting to make out the five humanoid shapes above him. They're standing around him in a sort of semi-circle. "Mmm," he mumbles. It takes a few moments for his vision to clear. When it does, the first face he can identify is—

"Carson." He says it dully, as if simply acknowledging the other's presence. "So there wasn't really an important thing that you wanted to speak to me about."

* * *

"Nope," Carson responds. He shrugs. "I had to get you over there somehow."

Jack looks around. "So you and the members of my former dojo could kidnap me?" He phrases it as more of a statement than a question. The lack of inflection in his voice sends chills down Kim's spine. Any normal person would be angry upon realizing they'd been kidnapped by people they knew. But Jack… his face and voice are completely blank, devoid of any emotion.

"Pretty much, yeah," Carson answers.

"Is Jerry's basement really the best place to take me to?" Jack asks, standing up.

"My folks aren't home," said Latino replies, shrugging. "It was the best we could do."

"Mmm," Jack says. He crosses his arms and leans against the wall. "And what do you intend to do now? Bore me to death?"

The other four males in the room stare at Kim. She briefly glares at them, before sighing and stepping forward. "Jack, the Black Dragons, _Ty, _they're controlling you. You just don't realize it."

"Is this some sort of attempt to get me back into the Wasabi dojo? If so, that's not the best opener to use." He scoffs, the first sign of emotion coming from him since he's awaken. "Controlling. That's like saying Jerry's farts have secretly been gathering in the atmosphere, waiting for the right moment to attack."

Jerry's eyes widen. "They are?! I _knew _it!"

"It was just an analogy, Jerry," Milton says patiently.

"But… doesn't that make you sneeze?"

"That's an _allergy,_" Eddie explains. Kim shakes her head. The Latino is so hopelessly confused sometimes…

"Can I go now?" Jack asks.

"No!" his five captors simultaneously say.

"Kim has to bring you back with a 'true love's kiss'," Jerry says.

Jack stares at him, and then at Kim. "You kidnapped me… so you could kiss me," he says slowly, disbelievingly. He shakes his head. "You really are one of the crazy exes."

"I am not!" Kim says indignantly, glaring at the other guys when they chuckle.

"Right."

"I'm not."

"I heard you."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

"I'm not crazy."

"Crazy people say the same thing."

"You—"

"Are annoying you so much that you've reconsidered and decided to let me go?"

"No!" she says. She glares at the guys again (who are once again snickering). She huffs in frustration, stepping forward and grabbing the front of Jack's shirt. She yanks him forward and presses her lips to his.

Seconds later, he breaks away and gasps. His eyes are squeezed shut, and Kim realizes he must be having one of his headaches. Does that mean it's working? "Kim— don't—"

She kisses him again, softer this time. She snakes a hand into his hair, anchoring his head so he doesn't move away. The other hooks around his neck. He doesn't react for the longest time. Just when Kim is about to pull away, though, he relaxes against her and responds, gently kissing her back. Relieved, Kim deepens the kiss and leans into him.

"So… I guess that worked," Milton says, watching the newly reconciled couple.

"Yep," Carson responds. _'You have your son back, Mrs. Brewer,' _he thinks to himself.

"Wanna head to the arcade?" Jerry offers.

"Sure," Milton and Eddie respond. Carson doesn't answer, not sure if the invitation is extended to him as well. The three friends start to walk off, before Eddie stops.

"You coming, Carson?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I… okay." With a small smile, Carson follows them. The four of them exit the garage, leaving Jack and Kim to their little moment.

* * *

**Ugh, really bad ending... whatevs. Hey, if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to submit them in a review.  
**

**Also, PLEASE vote in the poll on my profile. It's helping with a future fic.**

**Until next time,**

**~BP**

**10/19/14 Edit: Response to Reviews**

**Anialoveskick: **_Nice ending_  
_ Love_  
_ A:)_**  
**Thanks. :D

**UnbreakableWarrior:** _good job  
_Thank you!

**DirectorT: **_Wow. That was adorable...Really, really adorable. And sad...And happy! Haha, totally loved it. Don't worry, the ending was great, but I'm pretty sure whatever Jack and Kim did was not a 'Little moment' lol. Awesome work._  
Thank you. And Jack and Kim didn't do anything inappropriate. XD This is a kid's show. Everything supposed to be rated PG.


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